On Doctor Who Canon

[purplecat]

Because obviously what better thing is there to contemplate on a sunny day?

Comments

[fredbassett]

Am I the only one who thinks lack of canon arguments by the writers is just an excuse for sloppy writing and a "can't be arsed to keep track of detail" mentality?

It just strikes me as lazy and slipshod.

*sigh*

[purplecat]

Yeah but, you know, difficult when they've already destroyed Atlantis three different ways by 1975!!

And the Who Canon debates are simply terrible - Does A Fix with Sontarans - a 5 minute insert filmed for Jim'll Fix'it count? Since it contradicts no know continuity - features the same actors as played a Doctor and Companion, includes an explanation why that particular Doctor and Companion are the team, uses the current TARDIS sets, and err... also stars a 10-year-old with a Colin Baker outfit.

But it actually looks a lot more like bona fide 1980s Dr Who than a lot of other stuff people do want to include in canon.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I bet you aren't the only one, but I find the teatime_brutality argument more pleasing myself.

I like the idea of Doctor Who working like 'proper' legend.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

There's meant to be an Archers character who died four times.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, Fred.

[fredbassett]

Called Kenny, by any chance?

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Agree, generally - Doctor Who makes most sense as a collection of stories told as if by people half-to-fully remembering the details of something they were told themselves and embellishing further, or deciding on the spur of the moment that event A has happened for the purposes of this story, but event B hasn't.

[fredbassett]

Strikes me that they need a dose of Dr Who_Denial!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Quite possibly.

[purplecat]

There's a Dr Who novelisation in which a character dies, but turns up later to attend a group meeting.

[gominokouhai]

Not to mention that they keep killing the main character, and then he's magically all right by the end of the next episode.

[gominokouhai]

A Fix with Sontarans explicitly references the metatext, when Gareth Jenkins explains that he knows how to work the Tardis because he's watched the show, and therefore could be considered outside canon. Also you'd have to explain why Jimmy Saville turns up at the end, not to mention the contradictions with temporal grace.

[purplecat]

Trevor K Grant agrees with you - he only gives it a canonicity rating of 0.00046 Susans

http://doctorwhocanon.blogspot.com/2008/10/fix-with-sontarons.html

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

that's kinda the point. :)